Raising Goose - Adolescence

UGH!  My puppy is a teenager - Pushy, self absorbed, overly dramatic, crazy...
I know that some of my training friends are appalled at his seemingly out of control behavior (barking, jumping, pulling).  But I am not worried.  He is a baby in a big dog body right now.  Unaware of his size and possessing very little impulse control.  He tries to be good...but its just too much fun to be bad! 

He has skills: COME, SIT, DOWN, STAND, TOUCH, WAIT
He is friendly with dogs and people.
He has been started on platform targets and go to mat training.
He likes jumps and tunnels.
He tolerates a tether.
He tolerates a crate.
He fetches and plays tugowar enthusiastically.

But, yeah...I know...he is pretty obnoxious right now unless physically prevented from being so with management tools (ie tether, no pull harness)! 

My husband keeps asking me if I know a good dog trainer...Ha! Ha!  Obviously I married the man for his razor sharp wit.

It suppose at 9 months of age it might be time to reign in the red monster a bit. :-) 


But someday I will look back longingly on the days when he never walked when he could run and never stood still when he could bounce! 

So I'm in no hurry...

Muffin - Saying Goodbye

2015 finds me on my computer, purging files.   I came across this short piece about Muffin and thought I would share it with you.  Hard to believe it has been 4 years since we lost her.    

I stood just inside the front door, dogs milling around my feet.  I reached into my coat pocket and felt her collar. Pulling it out, I turned it over and over in my hands.   I removed the ID tag and considered the idea of tossing the collar in the trash.  Once a bright blue plaid, it was faded now and frayed in one spot.  I hesitated and threw it into the laundry instead.  It would clean up okay.  I let the dogs out into the yard.

I went into the bedroom and cleaned out her crate.  Her blanket had a dusting of fur.  I held it up to my face, inhaling her scent, then placed it into the laundry as well.  I folded the crate and brought it out to the garage.  I let the dogs back in from the yard.

I filled the utility sink with bleach and water and thoroughly washed the floor and walls in the mudroom, clearing the air of her sickness with the sharpness of the disinfectant.  The area rugs that helped her stay on her feet on the linoleum were rolled up and put on the porch for cleaning later.  

Walking back through the living room, I noticed the set of stairs she used to gain access to the couch.  None of the other dogs needed them, so I packed them up and brought them to the attic.  A stack of pictures sat on the dining room table.  Glancing through them, I found the right one. She was moving directly toward the camera with a sense of purpose.  I put the picture in a plain black frame and placed it on top of the curio cabinet.

Friends called on the phone to offer condolences. “I’m okay” I assured them. “It was time. Thanks for calling.” 

I fed the dogs, let them out, let them in again and watched some TV.  Finally it was time for bed.  It seemed like a week had passed since the trip to the vet this morning.  I fell back on the pillow, exhausted and fell asleep quickly. Sometime during the night, something woke me abruptly.  My feet were on the floor and I was half way to the spot where her crate had been before I remembered.  She was gone.  She didn’t need me.  My breath caught in my throat and slowly I turned and crawled back into bed. My husband reached out, drawing me close, muffling my sobs against his shoulder.

          

RAISING GOOSE - Crate expectations

You may remember my early concerns about Goose's intolerance of being crated (or gated...or put in an ex-pen...basically confined in anyway away from me).  Unfortunately that did not improve.  I did everything I knew of to get him to be comfortable crated at home, but he would tremble, shred bedding, drool and bark.  DAP spray, calming music, chew bones, positive reinforcement, shaping, stuffed toys, food stuffed puzzle toys, crate games...nothing even made a dent in his anxiety level.

Goose is now 6 mths old.  I would LOVE to be able to say that hard work, determination, desensitization and solid dog training finally prevailed.!  But that would be a lie.  Goose IS finally tolerating being crated for 3 or 4 hours at home (hooray!), but not because of my implementation of any of the accepted standard procedures recommended to crate train dogs.  I think what finally worked was...wait for it...giving up! 
Well, not totally giving up, but simply accepting that Goose was not comfortable being crated alone at home and deciding to stop trying it. 

This is what happened that made me stop trying altogether:

Yup, that is the plastic tray he chewed up - dangerous!!!

I started taking him everywhere or leaving him home loose (a scary thing to do with a 5 month old Vizsla!).  I did continue to crate him in the car, during meals and occasionally at work because he was OK with that. It is HARD to not be able to confine a puppy safely.  I worried when he was loose at home...I worried when he was in the car...This went on for several months.

I'm not sure exactly why, but one night I decided to try crating him again.  I had tired him out thoroughly during the day (he was exhausted).  I fed him and gave him two treat filled, puzzle toys in his crate..  I drove out of the driveway with a knot in my stomach.  But surprise, surprise, surprise!  I came home to a calm puppy with no shredded bedding or any other sign of distress in his crate!

I really have no idea what made Goose "turn the corner".  Maybe it was simply a developemental/ maturity thing... maybe the "OK crate time" with me present finally convinced him that crate time alone was OK too.  But it is a HUGE relief to now be able to leave him home occasionally in a crate.

Silly Red Dog!

 

RAISING GOOSE - Where has the time gone?

Goose is 21 wks old tomorrow...WHAT? 5 MONTHS????   How the heck did that happen?  He is a big bruiser and he is ALL BOY! In other words he is a bit of a bull in a china shop! :-P  We adore him , as do all of his "Aunties", though they may be becoming less thrilled with his exuberant greetings...
Yup, he is a champion jumper.  He is just too damn happy all the time. Silly Goose!
Here is Goose with one of his canine friends:

He is a joyful puppy with a mind of his own and the typical Vizsla love of people.  Frankly, right now he is a bit of a beast!  His size is quickly over taking his training level and his impulse control - He's a wild man!    In other words...
A COMPLETELY NORMAL HIGH ENERGY SPORTING DOG

As a trainer, nothing frosts my windows more than an owner whining and complaining about their puppy. "When will he stop chewing everything?  I take him for a walk and he is still crazy when we go home! He jumps on us!  Why won't he just go lie down?"  Sigh...Yes, some breeds and some individual puppies are calmer than others, but really folks, why did you get a puppy if you don't like the way NORMAL PUPPIES act? Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about puppies with over the top behavior or hard biting or isolation distress issues...that stuff IS hard to handle.  But I'm talking about teething, mouthing, acting like a complete maniac...you know...the regular stuff!

I am happy that Goose is a normal, outgoing, happy, CRAZY puppy. I hope he maintains his confidence and adventurous spirit and that these traits translate into his enjoyment of competitive sports (Agility, Freestyle, Rally etc).

But right now I won't lie and tell you that it doesn't aggravate me when he runs ahead on the trail to go visit a complete stranger with total abandon.
I'm not particularly happy when he bounces off my chest in his enthusiasm when I come in the door.
It can be annoying when shreds everything he gets his teeth on.
Hey, I'm only human and he is only puppy.  Together we will find our way - through training and exercise and time.  And I will not wish away a single moment of it.

RAISING GOOSE - 4 mths old!

Where has the time gone?  My baby puppy is now a gangly version of his adult self.  He is in between being a baby and an adolescent.  He is all legs and ears and enthusiasm!

I have been teaching him basics (SIT, DOWN, STAND, HERE and some leash manners), but mostly I have been concentrating on exposing him to the world in a positive way and letting him be a puppy.

He likes to jump on people now and he is tall enough to counter surf, so I have to step up my environmental management to prevent those behaviors from becoming habit.  That means nothing edible or interesting with in reach and using a leash and or treats to help Goose keep his feet on the floor when greeting people. He'll get it eventually.

I will be starting a class with him soon with my friend Sandy Chicoine.  Best Buddy Dog Training .  People always ask me why a dog trainer needs to take a training class.  The answer is 1. There is ALWAYS something new to learn and 2. It is a treat  for me to just be a student and concentrate on my own dog for an entire hour! Plus of course it is a chance to practice new skills in a new place with new dogs .

Goose has yet to meet a person he doesn't like and is confident in new environments.  This is GREAT! Especially for someone like myself who wants to participate in performance events.  But it comes with its own set of challenges that I did not have with my last Vizsla puppy.  Though Belle was a happy, stable puppy, she was more cautious with new things.  That meant that if we saw a person while hiking she would stick closer to me at first.  Goose barrels right up to them! Belle was not particularly distracted by people or dogs while we were working together  (though birds were always an issue!).  I anticipate distractions will be more of a struggle with Goose. The bird thing is a given!  He flushed a family of Woodcock the other day and I ceased to exist in his world for a while!


Stay tuned!

RAISING GOOSE - Vacation

I am a control freak, especially when it comes to my dogs. So when I realized that I was going to be bringing a new puppy into our family 3 weeks before leaving for vacation for 8 days...I started freaking out.  The first 4 months in a puppies life is such an important time!  How could I possibly give up control over a whole week?!

I have no shortage of friends who were willing to take Goose for me.  I am lucky that all of my close friends are dog people.  But understandably I had a stiff criteria for where I wanted Goose to spend the week.
1.  I wanted his careful socialization to continue.
2.  I didn't want to chance any scary experiences.
3.  I needed someone who didn't work all day.

My closest friends were eliminated one by one due to household dogs that were "iffy" with puppies...limited social exposure accessibility...work schedules...too many other commitments...or vacations themselves!


Enter Caroline and Cassidy Albert of The Grateful Dog in Manchester, VT. Caroline and I are colleagues and have become friends since meeting a few years ago. Her daughter Cassidy helps with the dogs at work and I have had the pleasure of having her in class with her dog, Enzo.  She is a really good dog trainer.

Though Caroline said she would be hesitant to take  a pup of Goose's age into her home boarding program due to concerns about being able to give him enough individual time...Cassidy offered to take point and be responsible for Goose.  Cassidy basically cared for Goose as if he was her own pup - she fed him, exercised him, supervised him with the other dogs and he slept in her bed.  Goose was carefully introduced to dogs, cats, kids, horses, new locations and even some basic training! I could not have asked for more!!! So...rather than Goose missing out on a whole week's worth of positive exposure, he got extra socialization!

 
It was hard to leave Goose, knowing he would grow and learn and do new things without me to see it, but I had such complete confidence in Cassidy and Caroline, that at least worry played no part in my concerns. We had a wonderful trip thanks to you!

RAISING GOOSE - Basics

Goose turned 8 weeks old on June 14!  He is gaining in size, endurance and coordination.  He is awesome!
We continue our careful barrage of socialization.  This week he met several new people, including a couple kids, and met some new doggie friends.  These are, of course, dogs I know well and am confident about their health status.  You don't want to sacrifice safety for social exposure.

We have started training the basic postures of SIT, DOWN, STAND and establishing a positive association with his name. GOOSE = cookies, praise and games.  We are encouraging him to follow us on and off leash. We are introducing TOUCH (hand targeting) .  He is a quick study.

His house training is coming along VERY well.  The few times he has gone potty inside have been lapses in my supervision.  Last night he grabbed a piece of newspaper off the end table, played with it a bit then put it down and peed on it!  I kid you not!  Riot!  He sleeps through the night without having to "go", which is a blessing, as neither my husband or I do well with sleep deprivation!

His ability to tolerate being crated is a work in progress.  He is great in the car crate now. :-) And he will eat in his kitchen crate, following the lead of the other dogs.  But simply getting him to chill out in a crate is not happening at this point.  Thankfully, he is tolerating being left in the crate when I leave the house, but only barely.   He screams a little less than he used to. :-P  

Goose has his first visit to our veterinarian this morning.  He will have company, as Cubby, Chalupa and James are also due for their annual exams. This oughtta be exciting! :-P